Asymmetrical High-Frequency Waveguide, 3-Axis Rigging, and Spherical Enclosure for Surround Speakers

ABSTRACT

Embodiments are described for a high-frequency waveguide that improves the performance of large-scale surround sound and immersive audio environments. A horn waveguide is configured to be asymmetric about one of a vertical axis and horizontal axis of the waveguide to form an asymmetric horn waveguide. A spherical enclosure surrounds the asymmetric horn waveguide to form a horn speaker, and a three-axis mounting system is configured to fix the horn speaker to one of a wall or ceiling surface of the venue, wherein the mounting system facilitates rotating the horn speaker to a location that provides maximum coverage of the venue within the passband of the asymmetric horn waveguide.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/311,656, filed Dec. 19, 2018, which is the U.S. national stage ofInternational Patent Application No. PCT/US2017/039828, filed Jun. 28,2017, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application62/356,045 filed Jun. 29, 2016, and to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication 62/519,063 filed Jun. 13, 2017, all of which are herebyincorporated by reference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

One or more implementations relate generally to cinema audio, and morespecifically, to a speaker system using an asymmetric horn waveguide,spherical enclosure, and three-axis rigging system for full spectrumaudio coverage in cinemas.

BACKGROUND

The advent of digital cinema has created new standards for cinema sound,such as the incorporation of multiple channels of audio to allow forgreater creativity for content creators and a more enveloping andrealistic auditory experience for audiences. Model-based audiodescriptions have been developed to extend beyond traditional speakerfeeds and channel-based audio as a means for distributing spatial audiocontent and rendering in different playback configurations. The playbackof sound in true three-dimensional (3D) or virtual 3D environments hasbecome an area of increased research and development. The spatialpresentation of sound utilizes audio objects, which are audio signalswith associated parametric source descriptions of apparent sourceposition (e.g., 3D coordinates), apparent source width, and otherparameters.

Various technologies have been developed to more accurately capture andreproduce the creator's artistic intent for a sound track in cinemaenvironments. A next generation spatial audio format, also referred toas “immersive” audio, and embodied in the Dolby® Atmos® system, has beendeveloped that comprises a mix of audio objects and traditionalchannel-based speaker feeds along with positional metadata for the audioobjects. In a spatial audio decoder, the channels are sent directly totheir associated speakers or down-mixed to an existing speaker set, andaudio objects are rendered by the decoder in a flexible manner. Theparametric source description associated with each object, such as apositional trajectory in 3D space, is taken as an input along with thenumber and position of speakers connected to the decoder. The rendererutilizes certain algorithms to distribute the audio associated with eachobject across the attached set of speakers. The authored spatial intentof each object is thus optimally presented over the specific speakerconfiguration that is present in the listening environment.

Because of the size of many large cinemas and the complex 3D effectsprovided by surround-sound and spatial audio systems, speakerconfiguration and placement, especially with respect to height speakersis very important to preserve proper response characteristics across theentire frequency spectrum. For example, in a large venue, good audio forall listeners requires a comprise between a wide, short throw forlisteners closest to the source, and a narrow, long throw for thosesitting further back. Similarly, coverage must be wider when near thesource and narrower when further away. Present height speakers, such asthose mounted in side wall locations or the ceiling may use symmetricalor conical horns, which generally do not provide even spectrum coverage.Standard waveguides may provide adequate coverage, but this requires acompromise of lower sensitivity by putting energy where it is not neededor putting some sections of the cinema out of the coverage area by usinghigh Q horns.

What is needed, therefore, is a loudspeaker system for professionalinstallations that improves coverage with high sensitivity and evenspectrum content across all seating areas in a listening environment,such as a cinema or other type of auditorium or room.

The subject matter discussed in the background section should not beassumed to be prior art merely as a result of its mention in thebackground section. Similarly, a problem mentioned in the backgroundsection or associated with the subject matter of the background sectionshould not be assumed to have been previously recognized in the priorart. The subject matter in the background section merely representsdifferent approaches, which in and of themselves may also be inventions.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments are directed to a speaker for transmitting sound into avenue having a conical driver, a horn waveguide acoustically coupled tothe driver to form a horn speaker, and which is asymmetric about one ofa vertical axis and horizontal axis of the horn speaker; a sphericalenclosure; and a three-axis mounting system configured to fix the hornspeaker to a ceiling or side wall surface of the venue, wherein themounting system facilitates rotating and aiming the horn speaker to alocation that provides maximum coverage of the venue across an entireaudio spectrum. When mounted on the wall, the speaker can be mounted ina high, central, or low of the wall to provide any height or directsound. An example passband of the waveguide may be frequencies above1500 Hz, though other ranges are also possible.

The waveguide comprises two symmetric surfaces about the vertical axisof the horn speaker and two asymmetric surfaces about the horizontalaxis of the horn speaker. The two symmetric and two asymmetric surfacesare separated by a gap including an opening to the conical driver, and arelative size of each surface, an amount of tilt of each surface, and asize of the gap dictates an optimum projection angle of the hornspeaker, and wherein an optimum projection angle is between 50 and 80degrees. In an embodiment, the venue is a large venue comprising one ofa cinema, auditorium, theatre, or large listening room, and the uppersurface comprises one of a high wall surface or a ceiling of the venue.The optimum projection angle may comprise an angle that extends close toa bottom side of the horn speaker and is flat across the coverage aimingangle so as to produce a coverage pattern in the venue that softenscoverage for a short throw of the speaker and sharpens coverage on along throw of the speaker in the venue.

In an embodiment, the three-axis mounting system provides pan, tilt, androtation motion of the horn speaker within a rigid mounting to the uppersurface of the venue. The three-axis mounting system provides furthercontrol of aiming the horn speaker to the location and is fixed inposition once set by manual control. The audio may comprise one ofsurround sound audio or immersive audio.

Embodiments are further directed to a method of providing an even audiospectrum during playback in a venue by height and wall speakers byproviding an asymmetrical horn waveguide acoustically coupled to aconical driver to form a horn speaker, wherein the waveguide imparts aprogressive horizontal coverage width and a narrow vertical dispersion,and providing a three-axis mounting system for the installing the hornspeaker to an upper surface of the venue, wherein the mounting systemfacilitates aiming the horn speaker to a location that provides maximumcoverage of the venue across an entire audio spectrum. The waveguidespreads high frequency content of the audio across a lower side of thehorn speaker. The three-axis mounting system provides pan, tilt, androtation motion of the horn speaker within a rigid mounting to the uppersurface of the venue. The upper surface may comprise one of a high walllocation with the horn speaker pointing substantially outwards into thevenue, and a ceiling with the horn speaker pointing substantiallydownwards into the venue. The venue may comprise an enclosed large venueholding a significant number of seats including some seats marginallyoutside of the location aimed at by the horn speaker. In an embodiment,the horn speaker wall speaker comprises a 60-degree horn speaker, andthe ceiling speaker comprises an 80-degree horn speaker.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

Each publication, patent, and/or patent application mentioned in thisspecification is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety to thesame extent as if each individual publication and/or patent applicationwas specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated byreference.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the following drawings like reference numbers are used to refer tolike elements. Although the following figures depict various examples,the one or more implementations are not limited to the examples depictedin the figures.

FIG. 1 shows a cinema or similar listening environment that contains oneor more speakers and speaker mounting systems under some embodiments.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example sound dispersion pattern for a waveguidespeaker that may use an enclosure and rigging system under someembodiments.

FIG. 3A is a top view looking down onto a waveguide under an exampleembodiment.

FIG. 3B is a perspective view of the waveguide of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 3C is a front view of the waveguide of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 3D is a side view of the waveguide of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 3E is a back view of the waveguide of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 4 illustrates a mounting system for an asymmetric horn waveguidespeaker under an embodiment.

FIG. 5A is a side view of the example waveguide of FIG. 4.

FIG. 5B is a rear view of the example waveguide of FIG. 4.

FIG. 5C is a cutaway view of the example waveguide of FIG. 4 under afirst embodiment.

FIG. 5D is a cutaway view of the example waveguide of FIG. 4 under asecond embodiment.

FIG. 6A illustrates a wall mount assembly for a wall-mounted hornwaveguide speaker under an embodiment.

FIG. 6B illustrates a yoke structure for the wall-mount assembly of FIG.6A.

FIG. 7A illustrates a side view of a spherical speaker enclosure for usewith a rigging assembly under some embodiments.

FIG. 7B illustrates a front or rear view of the mounted speaker of FIG.7A under an embodiment.

FIG. 8 illustrates a ceiling mount rigging system for an asymmetricalhorn waveguide speaker under an embodiment.

FIG. 9A illustrates an inset or recessed ceiling mounted assembly for ahorn waveguide under an embodiment.

FIG. 9B illustrates an assembled recessed mounting assembly under anembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments are described for a custom high-frequency waveguide thatimproves the performance of large-scale surround sound and immersiveaudio environments. A novel waveguide design, spherical speakerenclosure, and 3-axis rigging system is configured to take advantage ofthe typical shoebox-type shape of cinemas and auditoriums to usemechanical high frequency equalization (EQ) by using asymmetricalcoverage patterns that soften coverage on the short throw and sharpencoverage on the long throw. For purposes of description, the term“3-axis speaker assembly” refers to a speaker system that includes arigging system and a speaker that comprises a spherical speakerenclosure and an asymmetrical horn waveguide. Thus, the 3-axis speakerassembly comprises the three main components of a waveguide, sphericalenclosure, and rigging system.

Any of the described embodiments may be used alone or together with oneanother in any combination. Although various embodiments may have beenmotivated by various deficiencies with the prior art, which may bediscussed or alluded to in one or more places in the specification, theembodiments do not necessarily address any of these deficiencies. Inother words, different embodiments may address different deficienciesthat may be discussed in the specification. Some embodiments may onlypartially address some deficiencies or just one deficiency that may bediscussed in the specification, and some embodiments may not address anyof these deficiencies.

For purposes of the present description, the term “speaker” or“loudspeaker” means a complete loudspeaker cabinet incorporating one ormore loudspeaker drivers; a “driver” or “loudspeaker driver” means atransducer which converts electrical energy into sound or acousticenergy. Sound dispersion describes the directional way sound from asource (e.g., a loudspeaker) is dispersed or projected. Wide dispersion,or low directivity, indicates that a source radiates sound widely andfairly consistently in many directions; the widest being omnidirectionalwhere sound radiates in all directions. Narrow dispersion, or highdirectivity, indicates that a source radiates sound more in onedirection and predominantly over a limited angle. Dispersion can also beasymmetric; that is, the dispersion in one axis can also vary fordifferent angles or directions on another axis. The term “channel” meansan audio signal plus metadata in which the position is coded as achannel identifier (e.g., left-front or right-top surround);“channel-based audio” is audio formatted for playback through apre-defined set of speaker zones with associated nominal locations,(e.g., 5.1, 7.1, and so on); the term “object” or “object-based audio”means one or more audio channels with a parametric source description,such as apparent source position (e.g., 3D coordinates), apparent sourcewidth, etc.; “immersive audio” or “spatial audio” means channel-basedand/or object-based audio signals plus metadata that renders the audiosignals based on the playback environment using an audio stream plusmetadata in which the position is coded as a 3D position in space; and“listening environment” means any enclosed or partially enclosed area,such as a room that can be used for playback of audio content alone orwith video or other content, and can be embodied in a cinema, theater,auditorium, studio, and the like.

In an embodiment, one or more speakers and speaker mounting systems areinstalled in a cinema or similar listening environment, such as thatshown in FIG. 1. For the example embodiment of FIG. 1, cinema 100 is alarge rectangular room that has a screen 102 on one wall that faces rowsof seats 104 that typically arranged in successively elevated rows fromfront to back. The room 100 is enclosed by side walls 106 a and 106 b, aceiling 108, and a back wall (not shown) to form a sealed room. Thescreen (or stage) 102 represents the focal point of the room for viewerswatching a program, but the sound is typically played back throughspeakers arranged throughout the room so that the sound is projectedaround the audience.

Though embodiments may be shown and described with respect to cinemalistening environments, it should be noted that the FIG. 1 is meant torepresents any large venue, such as an auditorium, theatre, classroom,concert hall, large room, and so on. Such a venue might be referred toas a venue for “professional” A/V or audio installations to imply aninstallation that is typically larger than a home theatreimplementation. Regardless of venue type, the listening area contains anumber of listening positions (seats) where listeners are located. Manyof the seats are not necessarily in the optimum position (sweet spot)for one or more of the speakers. Embodiments include speakers that areoptimized to provide maximum coverage from each individual speakerlocation to most if not all of the seats 104 in the room 100.

In a surround-sound or immersive audio environment, a number of speakersin room 100 are mounted on the wall and possibly ceiling, along withfloor mounted speakers. Such speakers may be arranged in any one ofseveral known surround sound configurations, such as 5.1.4 surround,that provide height speakers for playback of height channels. Thus, asshown in FIG. 1, ceiling speakers 110 are provided for height audiosignals, and side speakers 112 are provided for direct side sound. Otherspeakers (not shown) may be provided along the front wall near thescreen 102 and in the back of the room 100 to provide other soundcomponents. Such speakers may comprise speakers or speaker sets thatprovide the standard left, center, right, left surround, right surround,left front height, right front height, left rear height, right rearheight, and low frequency effect (LFE or subwoofer) sound components,though embodiments are not so limited. Any appropriate number ofspeakers may be provided for each channel of the surround system, andany surround sound format may be used. Thus, it should be noted that anynumber of speakers in any appropriate configuration may be provideddepending on the size, scale and use of the room 100, and that thespeaker configurations described herein are intended only to be anexample of relative speaker placement in an embodiment. It should befurther noted that FIG. 1 is not drawn to scale and may represent anyappropriate listening environment, such as a cinema, auditorium, or anyother venue appropriate for professional audio system installations thatare part of a standalone audio system or as part of an A/V or othermedia playback, gaming, or simulation (e.g., virtual reality) system.

In present systems in which the room area is large and/or where there isa large number of seats, hence listening positions, the speakers aretypically unable to project sound equally well for all seats in thevenue. For example, seats closer to the screen or stage may hear muchmore of the center and front-positioned speakers than seats in the rearof the room. The frequency response of speakers is also negativelyimpacted by the projection of sound across a large distributed listeningarea. Waveguide speakers have been developed to improve coverage andprovide even spectrum content, however present waveguide designs oftendo not provide adequate sensitivity and coverage patterns, especiallywith newer immersive audio content that may have significant heightcomponents.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example sound dispersion pattern for a waveguidespeaker that may use an enclosure and rigging system to improvefrequency response for certain sound dispersion patterns, under someembodiments. For the example of FIG. 2, a listening area 200 has aspeaker 202 mounted on a side wall 201. The speaker is a horn waveguidespeaker that produces an example sound dispersion pattern 206 over therows of seats 204 in the listening area. As FIG. 2 illustrates just onespeaker out of several speakers that may be provided in the room, andone example of a sound dispersion pattern based on the type of speakerthat may be used, i.e., a horn waveguide speaker. As shown in FIG. 2,the sound dispersion pattern 206 is asymmetrically distributed withinthe room. As can be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art,similar or analogous dispersion patterns are produced for other speakersas they are positioned along different walls and regions of the walls,and are not shown for clarity.

In an embodiment, the speaker 202 and other speakers in room 200 havespecially shaped enclosures and rigging systems that allows them to bepositioned straight and/or tilted or rotated relative to the listeningarea 204 to optimize the dispersion pattern and the consequent frequencyresponse characteristics of the speakers over the entire listening area.

In an embodiment, one or more of the speakers of FIG. 1 (as typified byexample speaker 202 of FIG. 2) are configured to spread high frequenciesin a way that matches the actual or typical seating layout in the venue100 that the speakers are located so as to provide maximum coverage froma single speaker location. The speakers are configured to provideprogressive horizontal coverage width, from small to large and asomewhat narrow vertical dispersion. In an embodiment, an asymmetrichorn configuration is used to spread the higher frequencies on the lowerside of the horn. For cases in which the speaker is a high wall mount orceiling mount speaker, the speaker system may also include a mountingsystem that allows for quick rigging and aiming of the horn driver inoverhead and side surround positions. The mount system is configured toprovide 3-axis (x, y, z) of adjustment to aim the driver into thelistening area.

Speaker/Driver System

A first description will cover the speaker and driver configuration ofthe combined speaker/mounting system according to embodiments. In anembodiment, the asymmetric speaker comprises a specific waveguide matedto a coaxial loudspeaker to form an asymmetric horn. Such a speaker canbe mounted directly on a high wall surface or facing downward from theceiling, or it can be mounted using the 3-axis rigging system, dependingon requirements and venue layout. In an embodiment, the coaxial speakeris a 12″ conical driver, though embodiments are not so limited. Any sizeand configuration of driver may be used and the waveguide can beconfigured accordingly.

Specific speaker configurations are tailored based on different size andshaped auditoriums. In an embodiment, coverage angles needed to providedesired achievable coverage can be calculated in terms of two axes: Axis1 represents room side to side coverage, and Axis 2 represents roomfront to back coverage. This can produce five generalized groupings ofrequirements that include both ceiling mounted (overhead) speakers andwall-mount side (side surround) speakers.

Each waveguide is an asymmetric horn waveguide that has a throat thatexpands into a wider opening. FIGS. 3A to 3E illustrate different viewsof an example waveguide under some embodiments. FIG. 3A is a top viewlooking down onto a waveguide 300. Waveguide 300 includes a throat area302 projecting upward from a mounting portion that mates to the coaxialdriver so that sound is projected out perpendicular to the drawing page.A set of curved surfaces 304 and 306 form a channel 310 that guides thesound out from the waveguide 300 along the x-axis and y-axis of thewaveguide. Surfaces 304 are symmetrical with each other and surfaces 306and 308 are non-symmetrical so that waveguide 300 is asymmetric aboutits x-axis. FIG. 3B is a perspective view of the waveguide of FIG. 3,and shows the curvature and relative sizes of surfaces 304, 306 and 306.FIG. 3C is a front view of the waveguide of FIG. 3A; FIG. 3D is a sideview of the waveguide of FIG. 3A; and FIG. 3E is a back view of thewaveguide of FIG. 3A.

The curvature of the surfaces 304, 306, and 308 may be changed to alterthe degree of sound projection. For the example of FIGS. 3A to 3E, thecurvature may be configured to produce an 80-degree asymmetrical hornwaveguide. Any other practical projection angle is also possible, suchas 60 degrees, and so on. Other design parameters may also be altereddepending on configuration requirements, such as the size of the throatarea 302, the length and width of the gap 310, the size and shape of theouter dimensions, the difference in size of the asymmetric surfaces, theangle of inclination (e.g., as shown in FIG. 3D), and any otherappropriate design parameter of the waveguide.

Using the illustration of FIGS. 3A to 3E, five views of a practical horn(waveguide plus coaxial driver) configurations are described. A firstview of the horn, denoted Horn #1 is an overhead surround towards thescreen with Axis 1 at an even 70 degrees and Axis 2 starts at 50 degreesspreading to 70 degrees on the bottom. A second view of the horn,denoted Horn #2 is an overhead surround towards the back of room Axis 1is an even 70 degrees, and Axis 2 starts at 50 degrees spreading to 110degrees on bottom. A third view of the horn, denoted Horn #3 is anoverhead surround in center of room where Axis 1 is an even 70 degrees,and Axis 2 is an even 115 degrees. A fourth view of the horn, denotedHorn #4 is a side surround, where the vertical axis is an even 60degrees, and the horizontal axis starts at 70 degrees spreading to 165degrees on bottom. A fifth view of the horn, denoted Horn #5 is a rearsurround where the vertical axis is an even 45 degrees, and thehorizontal starts at 50 degrees spreading to 155 degrees on bottom.

It should be appreciated that many different configurations of the hornwaveguide are possible by altering one or more of the design parametersmentioned above. For a practical application of a large-scale cinema andimmersive audio as well as standard surround-sound audio, examplepractical asymmetric horn waveguide speakers are configured as (1) anasymmetrical horn featuring a progressive coverage of 80-130×80 degreesintended for overhead surrounds towards the screen and towards the backof the auditorium; and (2) an asymmetrical horn featuring a progressivecoverage of 60-150×60 degrees intended for side wall and rear wallsurrounds. Each of these two waveguides would be used with identical ordifferent woofers. In an embodiment, certain rigging structures(described further below) allow adjustments to the front and back, sideto side and also rotation so that these horns can be properly alignedwith the seating by an installer. In an application, these drivers couldbe rated for use in a Dolby Atmos (or similar, such as 7.1 surround)installation up to approximately 70 feet away from reference position,for example.

As described above, the shape and configuration of the surfaces of thewaveguide define the degree of sound dispersion from the speaker. Anyamount of dispersion can be created depending on the system needs. Asfurther mentioned above, example dispersions comprise an 80-degree hornfor overhead speakers to provide optimized coverage from a point sourceoverhead mounted over raked seating. An optional mounting systemprovides 3-axes of adjustment for the best optimization. The overallcoverage window for this type of speaker is 80 degrees vertical, 80degrees horizontal at the top of coverage transitioning down to 130degrees horizontal at the bottom of coverage.

For side and back walls, a 60-degree horn may be used. In an embodiment,a 60-degree horn can be formed similar to the 80-degree horn shown inFIG. 3A except with the throat area 310 and/or speaker opening 302 madeslightly narrower/smaller, along with any other appropriate surfacechanges. The 60-degree horn generally provides optimized coverage from apoint source into seating that extends very close to the bottom side ofthe speaker but is flat across the coverage aiming angle (little changeof elevation is relation to the aiming angle of the speaker itself).This speaker may also require three axes of adjustment for the bestoptimization when used on a side wall with raked seating, and may beprovided with an optional mounting system as described below. Theoverall coverage window for this speaker is 60 degrees vertical, 60degrees horizontal at the top of coverage transitioning down to 150degrees horizontal at the bottom of coverage.

These provide only some examples of possible speaker configurations, andmany others are also possible as can be appreciated by those of ordinaryskill in the art.

Mounting/Rigging System

The waveguide can mount to the coaxial speaker through a suitablemounting apparatus. The examples of FIGS. 3A to 3E illustrate anembodiment in which the waveguide is mounted to a coaxial driver for awall-mount speaker system in which the horn speaker projects from anupper or lower surface of the side wall 106 into the auditorium orcinema (venue).

FIGS. 4 and 5A, 5B illustrate a horn waveguide configured to mount ontoa coaxial driver for a wall mount system under an embodiment. FIG. 4illustrates a front view of waveguide 500 with an elongated throatsection 502 for connection to a flange or mating surface of the coaxialspeaker. FIG. 5A is a side view of the example waveguide of FIG. 4, andFIG. 5B is a rear view of the example waveguide of FIG. 4. It should benoted that many different configurations of such a side-mount mountingstructure are possible depending on the configuration requirements andconstraints.

As described above, in an embodiment, the projection angle of thewaveguide is dictated by the configuration of the surfaces of thewaveguide. FIG. 5C is a cutaway view 520 showing two halves 522 and 524of the waveguide surfaces for an 80-degree asymmetrical horn waveguidebased on waveguide 500 of FIG. 4. The waveguide 520 may be formed byjoining the two separate portions 522 and 524 together with screws/bolts526 or similar fixing means. Similarly, FIG. 5D is a cutaway view 530showing two halves 532 and 534 of the waveguide surfaces for a 60-degreeasymmetrical horn waveguide based on waveguide 500 of FIG. 4. Theappropriate angle, e.g., 60 or 80 is formed by broadening or narrowingthe exit portion of the waveguide as shown in FIGS. 5C and 5D. Bothportions (e.g., 522 and 524) may be symmetric with one another to form auniform sound dispersion angle upon exit from the waveguide, and may beformed by straight or relatively straight lines. Alternatively, the exitangle may be formed through curved surfaces, compound curved surfaces,and so on. Furthermore, the different sections may be asymmetrical inthat one side (e.g., 522) may have a different angle than the other side(e.g., 524). The configurations of FIGS. 5C and 5D are intended toillustrate just some example configurations of the waveguide, and manyother configurations are possible. For example, instead of two pieces, asingle formed or molded piece may be used, or more than two portions maybe used, such as three or four portions to allow for further shaping ofthe exit angle. The height, spread, baffling, material, and otherdesign/construction parameters may also be modified to impart differentsound dispersion angles from the waveguide.

In an embodiment, the wall mount versions of the horn waveguide speakerare used with a mounting and rigging system that provides 3-axis ofmovement. This allows a technician to conveniently aim the speakertoward a desired location in the auditorium for a desired coveragepattern.

For the wall mount version, a wall plate and yoke brace are used to holdthe speaker perpendicular to the wall and allow the speaker to be tiltedup and down, turned left and right, and rotated about a perpendicularaxis to the wall. This provides 3-axis of movement of the wall mountedhorn waveguide speaker. FIG. 6A illustrates a wall mount assembly forsuch a speaker under an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6A, wall plate 602is fixed to the wall through mounting means such as toggle bolt 604 andwasher 606 systems, or similar attachment means. A flange 608 provides amounting structure to the yoke 610, which is shown in FIG. 6B.

As shown in FIG. 6B, yoke 610 comprises a semicircular bar with mountingends 616. Semicircular slots formed into the yoke 610 and each mountingend 616 allow the installed speaker (not shown) to rotate within thestructure. The main slot in yoke 610 allows for a pan movement, and theslots in the ends allow for the tilt movement. The yoke is connected bya nut and washer (not shown) to insertion plate 614 through bracket 612.Insertion plate 614 is inserted into the appropriate slot of flange 608of wall plate 600 when the speaker assembly is ready to be mounted ontothe wall. In an embodiment, bracket 612 is configured to hold the yokeand allow it to be rotated around the bolt of plate 614. This providesthe rotation axis of movement.

FIG. 7A illustrates a side view of a spherical speaker enclosure for usewith a rigging assembly under some embodiments. As shown in FIG. 7A, thespeaker enclosure 700 mounts a speaker in the yoke 610 by attaching theends 616 to appropriate anchor points in the speaker housing. The anchorpoint in the end 616 allows the speaker 700 to be tilted up or downrelative to the main axis of the yoke 610. Likewise, the slot in theyoke 610 allows the speaker 700 to be turned right or left (into or outof the drawing page). FIG. 7B is a front (or rear) view of the speakerassembly 700 of FIG. 7A showing the attachment of the yoke 610 throughends 616 on either side of the speaker housing 700. The yoke 610 may beprovided in any shape depending on the size and shape of the speaker. Itis configured to allow movement of the speaker across the 3-axis of pan,tilt and rotation. FIG. 7B shows a formed portion of a grill 710 in afront surface of the speaker assembly 700 that accommodates mounting andplacement of the waveguide, such as waveguide 300 of FIG. 3. The sizeand shape of grill portion 710 is configured to match the size and shapeof the waveguide so that sound can be appropriately projected from theenclosure 300. In general, the body of enclosure 300 is spherical orgenerally spherical to facilitate mounting in a 3-axis rigging system.Alternatively, other shaped volumes may be used, such as cubic, oval,and so on.

As stated above, the term “3-axis speaker assembly” refers to a speakersystem that includes a rigging system and a speaker that comprises aspherical speaker enclosure and a waveguide. Thus, the 3-axis speakerassembly comprises the three main components of a waveguide, sphericalenclosure, and rigging system.

For the ceiling-mounted asymmetrical horn waveguide speaker, a similartype of yoke structure can be used. FIG. 8 illustrates a ceiling mountrigging system for an asymmetrical horn waveguide speaker for use in adrop ceiling under an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, a ceiling plate ismounted to ceiling tile of a drop ceiling using appropriate mountinghardware 802. Yoke 804 is attached to the plate 800 through appropriatebolt 808 and washer/nut 806 assemblies, and 802 assembly. Such ceilingkits provide a cheaper and easier method of mounting Atmos (and similar)systems in professional installations.

The plate may be configured for flush mount or recessed mount orpartially recessed mount depending on the desired configuration and needto have the speaker hidden within the ceiling or protruding or hangingdown from the ceiling. The flat configuration shown in FIG. 8 allows forrelatively fast and easy rigging into a ceiling tile grid, as the platecan be fashioned into the same shape and size as a single ceiling tile(or groups of tiles). The inset or recessed system insets the speakerfurther into the grid to keep the ceiling clear avoid the projectorbeam. FIGS. 9A and 9B illustrate an inset or recessed ceiling mountedassembly for a horn waveguide under an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 9A,ceiling plate 900 comprises a housing that fits into the ceiling so thata portion of the flange is flush with the ceiling. Yoke 902 is connectedto the housing plate through the appropriate mounting hardware 904. FIG.9B illustrates a completed recessed ceiling mount showing the flange 908with the ends 916 of the yoke for holding the speaker (not shown)protruding downward. This facilitates the mounting of a non-circularspeaker inset in the ceiling.

The wall and ceiling mounted assemblies illustrated herein included acommon yoke comprising a semi-circular band, or similar structure, tohold the speaker and attach to either a wall or ceiling mounted plate.This rigging assembly provides a 3-axis aiming adjustment as follows:(1) the yoke attachment to the speaker allows for up and downpositioning, (2) the slot in the yoke allows for side-to-sidepositioning, and the single point attachment to the wall or ceilingallows for rotation. The assembly technician can set the aim of thespeaker by adjusting any of these motions and use the mounting hardwareto tighten the speaker into a fixed position. Once installed, theappropriate speaker wire can be connected to the wall or ceiling mounteddriver.

The size and dimensions of the illustrated mounts are provided forillustration only, and embodiments are not so limited. Any appropriatesize or shape of wall or ceiling mount may be used. Likewise, theconfiguration, size, and shape of the yoke and the appropriaterotational slots or grooves can be changed to suit the size and shape ofthe speaker. The illustrated example showed a yoke that was shaped for acircular speaker housing. For the waveform horn speaker shown in FIGS.1-5, a yoke of corresponding shape may be used.

Embodiments of the horn waveguide and mounting/rigging assemblydescribed herein may be used with surround-sound audio content and/orimmersive audio content played in relatively large listening halls witha multitude of seats. Thus, aspects of the audio environment describedherein represent the playback of the audio or audio/visual contentthrough appropriate speakers and playback devices, and may represent anyenvironment in which a listener is experiencing playback of the capturedcontent, such as a cinema, concert hall, theater, a home theater or roomin a home, conference room, or any other large playback environment.Although embodiments have been described primarily with respect toexamples and implementations in a commercial theater or home theaterenvironment in which the spatial audio content is associated with movieor television content, it should be noted that embodiments also may beimplemented in other consumer-based systems, such as games, screeningsystems, and any other monitor-based A/V system. The spatial audiocontent comprising object-based audio and channel-based audio may beused in conjunction with any related content (associated audio, video,graphics, etc.), or it may constitute standalone audio content.

The construction materials for the manifold and any associated speakercabinets may be tailored depending on system requirements, and manydifferent configurations and sizes are possible. The mounting hardwaremay be made of any appropriate material as known to those of skill inthe art of construction and joinery.

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout thedescription and the claims, the words “comprise,” “comprising,” and thelike are to be construed in an inclusive sense as opposed to anexclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in a sense of “including,but not limited to.” Words using the singular or plural number alsoinclude the plural or singular number respectively. Additionally, thewords “herein,” “hereunder,” “above,” “below,” and words of similarimport refer to this application as a whole and not to any particularportions of this application. When the word “or” is used in reference toa list of two or more items, that word covers all of the followinginterpretations of the word: any of the items in the list, all of theitems in the list and any combination of the items in the list.

While one or more implementations have been described by way of exampleand in terms of the specific embodiments, it is to be understood thatone or more implementations are not limited to the disclosedembodiments. To the contrary, it is intended to cover variousmodifications and similar arrangements as would be apparent to thoseskilled in the art. Therefore, the scope of the appended claims shouldbe accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all suchmodifications and similar arrangements.

1. (canceled)
 2. A speaker for transmitting sound into a venuecomprising: an asymmetric horn waveguide having a vertical axis andhorizontal axis defined by two symmetric surfaces opposed about avertical plane of the horn speaker and by two asymmetric surfacesopposed about a horizontal plane of the horn speaker, and wherein asound projection from the waveguide is determined by at least one of: acurvature of the symmetric and asymmetric surfaces, a size of each ofthe symmetric and asymmetric surfaces, a distance between the symmetricand asymmetric surfaces, and a size of a throat defined by a length andwidth of an adjustable gap between the surfaces to control a Q factor ofthe waveguide; an enclosure surrounding the asymmetric horn waveguide toform a horn speaker; and a mounting system configured to fix the hornspeaker to one of a wall or ceiling surface of the venue, wherein themounting system facilitates rotating the horn speaker to a location thatprovides maximum coverage of the venue within a passband of theasymmetric horn waveguide.
 3. The speaker of claim 2 further comprisingan audio input interface receiving audio content comprising immersiveaudio signals comprising channel-based and object-based audio plusmetadata that renders the audio signals based on the venue using anaudio stream plus metadata in which the position is coded as athree-dimensional position in space.
 4. The speaker of claim 2 wherein arelative size of each surface, an amount of tilt of each surface, and adistance between the adjusting surfaces dictates an optimum projectionangle of the horn speaker.
 5. The speaker of claim 4 wherein the venueis a large venue comprising one of a cinema, auditorium, theatre, orlarge listening room, and wherein the optimum projection angle for awall mount comprises an angle that extends close to a bottom side of thehorn speaker and is flat across the coverage aiming angle so as toproduce a coverage pattern in the venue that softens coverage for ashort throw of the speaker and sharpens coverage on a long throw of thespeaker in the venue.
 6. The speaker of claim 2 wherein the mountingsystem comprises a two-axis mounting system providing pan and tiltmotion of the enclosure.
 7. The speaker of claim 2 wherein the mountingsystem comprises a three-axis mounting system providing pan, tilt, androtation motion of the horn speaker within a rigid mounting to the uppersurface of the venue.
 8. The speaker of claim 7 wherein the three-axismounting system provides further control of aiming the horn speaker tothe location and is fixed in position once set by manual control.
 9. Thespeaker of claim 8 further comprising a common yoke to hold the speakerand attach to either a wall or ceiling mounted plate and to provide athree-axis aiming adjustment by allowing the speaker to be rotated aboutthe horizontal plane for up and down positioning.
 10. The speaker ofclaim 9 wherein the yoke comprises a slot allowing the speaker to berotated about the vertical plane for side-to-side positioning, andwherein a single point of attachment to the wall or ceiling allows forthe rotation.
 11. The speaker of claim 2 wherein the waveguide spreadshigh frequency content of the audio across a lower side of the hornspeaker.
 12. The speaker of claim 11 wherein the venue comprises anenclosed large venue holding a significant number of seats includingsome seats marginally outside of the location aimed at by the hornspeaker.
 13. The speaker of claim 12 wherein the horn speaker pointingsubstantially outwards into the venue comprises a 60-degree hornspeaker, and the horn speaker pointing substantially downwards into thevenue comprises an 80-degree horn speaker.
 14. A method of providing aneven audio spectrum during playback in a venue, comprising: providing anasymmetric horn waveguide having a vertical axis and horizontal axisdefined by two symmetric surfaces opposed about a vertical plane of thehorn speaker and by two asymmetric surfaces opposed about a horizontalplane of the horn speaker, and wherein a sound projection from thewaveguide is determined by at least one of: a curvature of the symmetricand asymmetric surfaces, a size of each of the symmetric and asymmetricsurfaces, a distance between the symmetric and asymmetric surfaces, anda size of a throat defined by a length and width of an adjustable gapbetween the surfaces to control a Q factor of the waveguide; providingan enclosure surrounding the asymmetric horn waveguide to form a hornspeaker; and providing a mounting system configured to fix the hornspeaker to one of a wall or ceiling surface of the venue, wherein themounting system facilitates rotating the horn speaker to a location thatprovides maximum coverage of the venue within a passband of theasymmetric horn waveguide.
 15. The method of claim 14 wherein themounting system comprises one of: a two-axis mounting system providingpan and tilt motion of the enclosure, or a three-axis mounting systemproviding pan, tilt, and rotation motion of the enclosure.
 16. Themethod of claim 15 further comprising providing a common yoke to holdthe speaker and attach to either a wall or ceiling mounted plate and toprovide a multi-axis aiming adjustment by allowing the speaker to berotated about the horizontal plane for up and down positioning, andfurther wherein the yoke comprises a slot allowing the speaker to berotated about the vertical plane for side-to-side positioning, andwherein a single point of attachment to the wall or ceiling allows forthe rotation.
 17. The method of claim 16 further comprising receivingaudio content comprising immersive audio signals comprisingchannel-based and object-based audio plus metadata that renders theaudio signals based on the venue using an audio stream plus metadata inwhich the position is coded as a three-dimensional position in space.18. The method of claim 16 wherein a relative size of each surface, anamount of tilt of each surface, and a distance between the adjustingsurfaces dictates an optimum projection angle of the horn speaker, andwherein the waveguide spreads high frequency content of the audio acrossa lower side of the horn speaker.
 19. A method of projecting immersiveaudio into a venue comprising: defining a waveguide by at least one of:a curvature of the symmetric and asymmetric surfaces, a size of each ofthe symmetric and asymmetric surfaces, a distance between the symmetricand asymmetric surfaces, and a size of a throat defined by a length andwidth of an adjustable gap between the surfaces to control a Q factor ofthe waveguide, the asymmetric horn waveguide having a vertical axis andhorizontal axis defined by two symmetric surfaces opposed about avertical plane of the horn speaker and by two asymmetric surfacesopposed about a horizontal plane of the horn speaker; provide amulti-axis aiming adjustment by allowing the speaker to be rotated aboutthe horizontal plane for up and down positioning and about the verticalplane for side-to-side positioning; and allowing rotation of the hornspeaker to a location that provides maximum coverage of the venue withina passband of the asymmetric horn waveguide.
 20. The method of claim 19wherein a relative size of each surface, an amount of tilt of eachsurface, and a distance between the adjusting surfaces dictates anoptimum projection angle of the horn speaker, and wherein the waveguidespreads high frequency content of the audio across a lower side of thehorn speaker.